May 2020

Golf Monthly

All the latest gear reviewed each month

Golf Monthly1 min read
Golf Monthly
Editor: Michael Harris Digital editor: Neil Tappin Senior content editor: Tom Clarke Technical editor: Joel Tadman Content editors: Nick Bonfield, David Taylor Editor-at-large: Bill Elliott Design director: Kevin Eason Design editor: Jamie Latchford
Golf Monthly2 min read
A Time Of Uncertainty
There have been a number of occasions over the past 14 years as editor where I have sat down to write the welcome letter and felt like there was little going on in the golfing world to inspire me to put pen to paper. Not so this issue, with a host of
Golf Monthly4 min read
Your View
When thinking about the fundamental principles of honesty and integrity in golf, which have been much discussed of late, I take comfort from what happened with Darren Clarke at the Nissan Irish Open in 2006. He was leading by two strokes in the final
Golf Monthly2 min readSports & Recreation
The Game
284 Hatton’s total of 284 was the highest winning score on the PGA Tour since the 2014 WGC-Cadillac Championship 3 The win gives him a three-year exemption on the PGA Tour 50.5 The field hit just 50.5% of greens in regulation for the week 1 Only one
Golf Monthly1 min read
Our View
R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers recently suggested golf clubs need to fundamentally change to encourage more people to become members. He highlighted the success of facilities offering non-traditional forms of the game with no dress codes and mor
Golf Monthly3 min read
“The Hardest Thing For Me Was Trying To Keep Myself Level-headed”
What does your first PGA Tour win mean to you? It's an incredible feeling to win at such an iconic venue, and with Arnold Palmer’s name attached to it too. That was a tough day out there, wasn't it? Yeah, a really tough day. I obviously didn't get of
Golf Monthly2 min read
Blow To Premier Golf League As McIlroy Speaks Out Over Funding
Rory McIlroy has further distanced himself from the Premier Golf League (PGL) and pledged his loyalty to the PGA Tour. The Northern Irishman, who declared himself “out” in February because he wanted autonomy over his schedule, has now expressed issue
Golf Monthly1 min read
Maverick McNealy
1 Born in California, McNealy is the son of Scott McNealy, one of the co-founders of Sun Microsystems, a company that sold computers and computer software. His father sold the company to the Oracle Corporation in 2010 for $7.4 billion. 2 McNealy atte
Golf Monthly1 min read
How To Play… A Mid-length Par 3
Graphics provided by
Golf Monthly2 min read
Launches Of The Month
The new M5 GPS features a hi-res 3.5” LCD display that incorporates a fully integrated GPS with yardages of over 40,000 pre-loaded courses. Front, middle and back distances are visible, and you have the ability to move flag positions on the screen an
Golf Monthly2 min read
Honma TR20 Range From £175 Per Club
New for 2020, Japanese manufacturer Honma has introduced a range of drivers and irons called Tour Release, with fairways, hybrids and further iron models expected later this year. Sitting at the top of the range are the two TR20 drivers with 460cc an
Golf Monthly3 min readSports & Recreation
Is The USPGA Still The Fourth Most Important Event In Men’s Golf?
says Fergus Bisset Thinking of golf’s biggest events, try to recall Open and Masters winners by year. Most golf fans in this country will be able to go well back. Many will also be pretty sharp on recent US Open champions. But a quick attempt to reme
Golf Monthly1 min read
Royal Dublin
Ireland From €110-€185 per round Par 72, 6,907 yards Today’s beautifully rumpled links on Bull Island represents Royal Dublin’s third home and is accessed via a single-file wooden bridge that adds an element of drama to your arrival. The course is st
Golf Monthly1 min read
Your Golfing Calendar
Then PGA President Tom Walsh announced the creation of the Hall of Fame, with Bobby Jones, Francis Ouimet, Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen the first to be inducted. The first golf prodigy, Thomas Morris won four Open Championships in a row before sadly
Golf Monthly3 min read
Wayne Riley
People have been discussing the potential for a World Tour since Greg Norman tried to get one off the ground in the 90s, but I first started hearing whispers about this new Premier Golf League around the start of the year when some suggested it was w
Golf Monthly3 min read
Matthew Southgate
As I write this, I’ve just arrived in Dubai after spending a couple of weeks in Oman and Qatar. Although I hear the weather at home may be on the turn, I thought I’d head to Dubai instead for a bit of warm-weather practice. Unfortunately, I came to D
Golf Monthly3 min read
Would Revised Equipment Rules Be A Good Thing For Golf?
In February, The R&A and USGA released a comprehensive report on the Distance Insights Project, concluding that steps should be taken to curb the increasing distances players hit the ball. Although other factors such as their testing processes, cours
Golf Monthly7 min read
I Know I Can Get It Done
From the outside, Rickie Fowler has it all: a beautiful wife, the adoration of the golf world and five PGA Tour wins. He’s been a part of an American Ryder Cup victory. He also has a social media presence most athletes can only dream of. He has grown
Golf Monthly5 min read
Is Slow Play A Problem On Tour?
These are turbulent times for golf. Forget about the Premier Golf League and USGA/R&A Distance Insights Project, one of the game’s most contentious issues continues to rumble on–slow play. It’s long been regarded as ‘the scourge of golf’ at club leve
Golf Monthly8 min read
Ready And Waiting
Viewed from any angle, observed through cynical eyes or rose-tinted glasses, Augusta National and The Masters it hosts each year is a quite extraordinary combination of money and sport on top of continuing narrow-eyed ambition. In this age of celebri
Golf Monthly1 min readPolitics
New Slow Play Regulations Summary
• Immediate one-stroke penalty applies to anyone who incurs a second ‘bad time’ in a tournament (not within a round as previously planned) • Players who exceed time limits while being ‘monitored’ incur a ‘bad time’ • A player can call a ‘time extensi
Golf Monthly6 min read
Following In The Footsteps
Adri Arnaus was three years old when he learnt his first lesson in golf–don’t upset Sergio Garcia. He was in Spain at a golf tournament and had lost sight of his mother. Panic set in as he weaved around the many spectators angling for a glimpse of on
Golf Monthly1 min read
Seve Ballesteros
Jon Rahm had Seve on his mind for much of the final round at the DP World Tour Championship last year. No one else from Spain had ever been crowned Europe’s number one golfer–except, of course, his idol. The genius from Pedrena announced himself to t
Golf Monthly6 min read
12 Ways YOUR Golf Club Can Improve
Even before we were hit by another incredibly wet winter, and Storms Ciara and Dennis had stamped their full devastating mark on February, things had already been proving tough for many golf clubs up and down the country. Club closures have been gath
Golf Monthly1 min read
Set-up For Easy Power
1 The key to getting the most out of your driver is to work on your angles at set-up. Power potential can be dramatically hampered before you even start the backswing–simply because you’re not in a good position at address. With a couple of simple ch
Golf Monthly1 min read
Conquer The Plugged Lie
1 For most handicap golfers, the safer option is probably more sensible most of the time. Keep the clubface square to slightly closed with more weight on your left side at address, which will generate some shaft lean. 2 For the more adventurous ones,
Golf Monthly3 min read
Soren Kjeldsen
A lot of amateurs struggle with the strike; they try and lift the ball up. Try practising without a target, so you’re more focused on technique. The most important thing about chipping is that the movement is going down. The lowest point has to be af
Golf Monthly1 min read
Improve Your Chipping
1 Set-up is key. Keep your stance narrow and have the ball a little back, with a bit of forward shaft lean at address. On longish chips I would recommend a hinge and hold approach rather than a rigid, wooden technique, so set or hinge your wrists a l
Golf Monthly2 min read
Scott Jamieson
*2019 European Tour 70.9 Stroke average 66% Greens in regulation 300.8 Driving distance (yards) 28.9 Putts per round 1 With a mid-iron, Jamieson has the ball just forward of centre. He has an athletic posture, which is what we tend to see nowadays, a
Golf Monthly7 min read
Scorecard Requirements
Chris Wallace, R&A Rules manager, reflects on the consequences of Andy Sullivan’s concentration lapse after the second round of the Dubai Desert Classic, when he signed for a wrong score. Sullivan signed for two fours on the 15th and 16th holes when
Golf Monthly2 min readSports & Recreation
Titleist Vokey SM8 Wedges £160
When you have one of the most popular wedges on the market in the Vokey SM7, it would seem prudent not to make wholesale changes when replacing it. From SM7 to SM8, the same address looks, signature feel and excellent spin control remain, but Titleis
Golf Monthly2 min read
Mizuno ST200 Drivers from £349
The ST200 range might well be the best driver family Mizuno has ever produced. We tested all three models on the Foresight Sports GCQuad launch monitor using Titleist Pro V1x golf balls before sampling them out on the course. The standard ST200 featu
Golf Monthly2 min read
Callaway Mavrik Irons £849
The Mavrik range could well comprise one of the most complex design concepts we’ve seen in recent years. It features two oversized models and a more compact Pro version aimed at the slightly lower handicapper who still wants good distance in a more r
Golf Monthly2 min read
Ball-Flight Masterclass
Is there a better feeling than watching your ball head towards the target on the perfect trajectory? Toptracer has made it clearer for us to gain a better understanding of ball flight. Rarely, it seems, do the pros lose control of their ball, with th
Golf Monthly2 min read
Ping Heppler Putters from £250
There aren’t many more striking putter ranges in 2020 than the new Ping Heppler. The flat-sticks benefit from a new pressure cast aluminium manufacturing technique, which has allowed Ping to create some pretty funky shapes while also placing weight e
Golf Monthly2 min readFashion
Galvin Green Apollo Jacket £290
A waterproof jacket has to tick many different boxes, and while Galvin Green’s offerings are widely regarded as being the best in the business, they have always lacked one thing: front pockets. We’re of the opinion that front pockets are an essential
Golf Monthly2 min read
Stand Bags
With all the rain we’ve had, the chances are–if your course has been open–you’ve been forced to carry your clubs rather than use a trolley. If you’ve neglected an upgrade for a while, perhaps your current bag has left you high and not very dry. But c
Golf Monthly1 min read
Tommy Fleetwood
Viktor Hovland tweaked his Ping G410 Plus driver to a more upright lie angle and it helped him win the Puerto Rico Open. Sungjae Im won the Honda Classic with a full bag of Titleist clubs, including the TS3 driver, T100 irons and SM8 wedges. Sami Val
Golf Monthly2 min read
The Start Of The Spikeless Revolution
Ten years ago, golf changed forever. Little did we know that at the start of the 2010 Masters, the popularity of cleated shoes would begin to dwindle and in its place a new category of golf footwear would be born. Step forward the hybrid or spikeless
Golf Monthly2 min read
Cheap Vs Expensive Putter Test
Many people say to us that golf equipment is too expensive and it stops people getting into the game, so we recently pitted the premium (£399) Scotty Cameron Phantom X12 putter up against the value (£14.99) Inesis 100 from Decathlon. What does the ex
Golf Monthly2 min read
Machynys
While many of Wales’ famous links rank among the country’s oldest and most highly regarded courses, its newest links has built itself a strong reputation in 15 short years. The 21st-century newcomer at Machynys is more of an American variation on the
Golf Monthly2 min read
The Golf Course: My Natural Habitat
Golf means different things to different people. The game has been a huge part of my life for nearly 40 years, providing me with an inordinate amount of pleasure, the chance to travel the world and, for over a quarter of a century, my source of incom
Golf Monthly2 min read
Getting It Right
Early in the year, just before Storms Ciara and Dennis threw all that they could muster at our poor, already waterlogged courses, it was a real pleasure to spend the day at Woburn Golf Club. There I met up with Top 100 panellist John Drake and we som
Golf Monthly3 min read
Hampshire
Par 72, 6,392 yards GF: round: £60-£80wd, £70-£90we; twilight: £50 Sun-Thurs This fine Willie Park Junior heathland layout dating back to 1908 lies just north of Southampton. In recent years the club has invested heavily to return the course closer t
Golf Monthly6 min read
The Good Doctor
A master of the skilful and subtle use of terrain to create wonderfully natural golf holes, Dr Alister MacKenzie is most famous in the golfing world as designer of Augusta National. But the Yorkshire-born Scot was responsible for architectural works
Golf Monthly3 min read
Open Championship Par 3s
The final par 3 at Carnoustie is at the start of probably the most exacting finishing three holes in Open golf. Although the water isn’t really in play, Barry Burn is a monstrous 245 yards and frequently played into the wind. There are pot bunkers ne
Golf Monthly3 min read
Bill Elliott
Crikey, there’s been a lot of rain. You may have noticed and I suspect many of you feel hard done by while gazing both wistfully at your clubs and frustratingly at the email warning that the course is closed. Again. Well, if you have felt a growing f
Golf Monthly1 min read
Q & A
General manager, Effingham Golf Club Did the recent, comprehensive course upgrade at Effingham please all the members? I would say that the phased renovation became infectious year on year, leading to a real enthusiasm to finish the project ahead of

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